Monument Plane Crash July 28, 1944

Here you can see a monument in memory of the civilians and servicemen killed in the aircraft crash on 28 July 1944. The aircraft was brought down by anti-aircraft artillery and crashed slightly further to the east of the monument. One of the crew hid here while five others were picked up as prisoners of war. The aircraft’s pilot is seen as a hero because he gave his own life for the inhabitants of Nieuwpoort. He was able to turn the aircraft so that it did not crash in the middle of the centre. Two villagers did lose their lives though because he had to offload the bombs he was carrying between Sint-Joris and Ramskapelle, two small local villages.